Steve Gardner
|caption = |aliases = Anonymous |hidep = 1 |nationality = American |affiliations = CIA U.S. Government |status = |eyes = |hair = |family = |games = Metal Gear: Ghost Babel (mentioned only) |creator = Tomokazu Fukushima }} Steven "Steve" Gardner was the National Security Advisor for the United States during the events of the Galuade Incident. Biography At some point in his career, Gardner, then a section chief for the CIA, had zealously pursued an investigation on the assassination of a Government VIP and a foreign agent, despite it being outside CIA jurisdiction. As a direct result of his bungling of the case, which involved the daughter of then-Army colonel John Parker, she committed suicide, earning Gardner and Parker bitter enmity towards each other, with them taking their feuds with each other to issues of politics and military operations.Metal Gear: Ghost Babel, Konami Computer Entertainment Japan (2000). -Stage 13-2 clear- No. 4: The feud between the Army Chief of Staff Parker and National Security Advisor Gardner predates Project Babel and their current, respective positions as the power over the Army and the second most influential man in the U.S. government. It goes back to a time when Parker was an Army colonel and Gardner was only a CIA section chief. At the time, there was an incident involving the assassination of a government VIP and a foreign agent, and Parker's daughter was one of those under investigation. Even though the entire affair was clearly out of the CIA's jurisdiction, Gardner pursued the matter zealously, and the case ended with Parker's daughter committing suicide. Since then, Parker and Gardner have been mortal enemies, taking their personal war to issues of politics, military operations, you name it. It looks as though Gardner meant to bring Parker down once and for all using Black Chamber and Metal Gear. In 1995, while serving as the Deputy Director of the CIA, Gardner funded the development of Metal Gear and Outer Heaven, the former of which had been the idea of Big Boss, the man assigned to the project.Metal Gear: Ghost Babel, Konami Computer Entertainment Japan (2000). -Stage 10-3 clear- No. 4: As you well know, the development of Metal Gear began in Outer Heaven. The project fell under the auspices of the CIA's Directorate of Intelligence and its director Steven Gardner, but the idea itself, for a bipedal vehicle that would launch a nuclear strike from anywhere on the planetary surface, was apparently conceived by Big Boss, Outer Heaven's commander-in-chief. The technology wasn't there at that point, but the concept of an invisible missile from a rail gun seems to have been already planned by Big Boss. And the idea became a reality in American hands following Outer Heaven -- Metal Gear is the phantom of Big Boss, in a sense. It's no wonder Snake is so obsessed with the destruction of Metal Gear; to him, it truly is the 'evil past'. But to us, it's the gospel to a new world -- a blessing. Gardner later resurrected the project under the codename of "Project Babel" (in an attempt to turn the United States into the only super power in Africa) and became the Director of the CIA, though he later relinquished the project to Parker at his demand after Metal Gear was hijacked by foreign terrorists. However, he also gave Parker a condition: that he sacrifice Black Chamber.Metal Gear: Ghost Babel, Konami Computer Entertainment Japan (2000). -Stage 11-2 clear- No. 4: Actually Parker is more than a minor figure in the founding of Black Chamber. Parker once recovered Metal Gear from terrorist hands using Black Chamber, and demanded total control over Project Babel and Metal Gear on the strength of that accomplishment. But Gardner named a price: Black Chamber. And Parker accepted the deal for the sake of that power and stood by without lifting a finger while Gardner liquidated his Black Chamber Special Force... After the agreement was settled, Gardner, after ensuring Black Chamber had arrived back in the United States, ordered the ambush on Black Chamber, manipulating Roy Campbell into thinking that he was attacking terrorists, in order to silence Black Chamber, as well as ensure that Black Chamber was on hand to witness this and thus have any survivors declare revenge for his eventual plan of retrieving Project Babel from Parker and tarnishing his reputation.Metal Gear: Ghost Babel, Konami Computer Entertainment Jaoan (2000). -Stage 4-2 clear- No. 4: It is a fact that Gardner gave that 'wet works' order to FOXHOUND against Black Chamber, but he also made arrangements for the safe passage of the leader Viper and other core members of Black Chamber at the same time. No doubt he wanted them on hand when he made a bid to recover Metal Gear and Project Babel from Parker... and we know his calculations paid off. To do this, Gardner leaked the intel on Metal Gear GANDER to Brian McBride (whose true identity he was actually well aware of) and Black Chamber, so they would attempt to steal GANDER and join the Gindra Liberation Front. He later blackmailed Campbell into getting Solid Snake out of retirement with the alternative of exposing the incident and pinning the blame on Campbell for masterminding the whole thing, apparently also holding his niece, Meryl Silverburgh, hostage to demonstrate the seriousness of his blackmail.Metal Gear: Ghost Babel, Konami Computer Entertainment Japan (2000). -Stage 8-2 clear- No. 4: As he eventually admitted, Campbell was blackmailed into participating in the Galuade offensive by Gardner. But that wasn't the only reason: though Campbell said nothing about it, his niece Meryl, an Army soldier, was apparently taken hostage to guarantee his co-operation. and also hired Ronard Lensenbrink ("Weasel") to assassinate Snake's support team after the mission is completed (as he was the only one who can take on Snake in an even fight), so that they couldn't expose the truth behind his involvement with Metal Gear. In addition, he also placed the United States Air Force on standby mode at the beginning of the Galuade Incident so that, in the event that Snake failed to stop the GLF, he would orchestrate an air-raid bombardment of Galuade that would have also ensured Snake's death, also making sure a nuclear warhead was primed,Metal Gear: Ghost Babel, Konami Computer Entertainment Japan (2000). -Stage 10-2 clear- No. 4: About that F-22 cruise missile attack -- did you notice something a little too smooth about it? Gardner had the air force on standby right from the beginning of the crisis. The idea was if the mission failed, he would have Galuade blown sky-high along with Snake. He even had a nuclear warhead ready to go. and also ensured that the Delta Force's position was leaked to Brian McBride and Black Chamber to foil Parker's attempt at outdoing him.Metal Gear: Ghost Babel, Konami Computer Entertainment Japan (2000). -Stage 1-2 clear- No. 4: It was Parker, the Army Chief of Staff, who forced through the deployment of the Delta Force team in Galuade. His immediate objective, as Sergeant Jenner revealed, was to silence the 'General' along with all he knew about Project Babel. However, what Parker really feared must have been to lost Project Babel and Metal Gear to Gardner. Driven by that fear, he attempted to salvage the situation with his pet Delta Force before the arrival of Solid Snake under Gardner's orders -- but Gardner leaked that piece of intelligence to McBride, and the Delta Force team and Parker's bid for control crumbled under an ambush. Gardner was always a step ahead; you have to give him that. Ultimately, however, he did not anticipate that Chris Jenner would be difficult to capture.Metal Gear: Ghost Babel, Konami Computer Entertainment Japan (2000). -Stage 7-2 clear- No. 4: Chris Jenner and James Harks are attacked shortly after this point... Viper figured that Solid Snake would come to rescue Harks and he'd had Harks' clothes rigged with a transmitter. But letting Jenner escape was not a part of their plan. Seems Jenner was a much tougher adversary than Viper had anticipated. Parker had made the right call in selecting her to bury the Project Babel evidence for him. Snake later vowed to take down Gardner and Parker for their part in playing chess with peoples lives and hearts. Notes and references es:Steve Gardner Category:Ghost Babel Characters Category:Male Category:Americans Category:Unseen Characters